We are pleased to welcome two new team members to our Vancouver office and announce a new role for a member of the TFRI communications team!
Tia Zhang, Accounting Coordinator
Tia Zhang joined TFRI as accounting coordinator in March. She obtained a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia and is currently pursuing her Chartered Professional Accountant designation. Tia has years of experience as a full cycle accountant in both the private and public sectors. She has held intermediate and senior roles at the BC Academic Health Science Network and Michael Smith Health Research BC. She has extensive experience in project accounting, government reporting, consolidation and data migration.
What is your #DearTerry message?
Dear Terry,
Thanks for sharing your vulnerability with us and demonstrating that never giving up is the true way of exercising personal freedom for ourselves. You inspired me during my darkest hours and I’ll be forever grateful for that. Thank you.
What is something you saw recently that made you smile?
My Mom’s itinerary for her Vancouver trip.
Are you reading anything interesting right now?
Richard Wagamese’s One Native Life. It’s a beautifully written book with a collection of short memoirs about his long life journey, how he heals from past trauma and reclaims his identity.
Erin Jackson, Communications Specialist
Erin Jackson joined TFRI as a communications specialist in March. She holds a Journalism Diploma from Algonquin College and a Master of Human Kinetics, Sport Management degree from the University of Windsor. An experienced writer and editor specializing in health, science, travel and wellness, her work has been featured in several Canadian and American publications.
What is your #DearTerry message?
Dear Terry,
Your Marathon of Hope and the effects it continues to have on cancer research in Canada are nothing short of incredible. Your legacy serves as a constant reminder to work hard, act selflessly and have courage. Thank you.
What is something you saw recently that made you smile?
I recently watched a friend complete her first half-marathon after months of training. Witnessing the determination and dedication of her and more than 18,000 others—all running for a greater cause—was a moment I’ll never forget.
Are you reading anything interesting right now?
I’m currently listening to David Sedaris’s audiobook Happy-Go-Lucky, a collection of personal essays that, also, makes me smile.
Peter Mothe, Senior Communications Specialist
Peter Mothe joined TFRI as a communications specialist in May 2018. In February, he became TFRI’s senior communications specialist, where he is primarily focusing on Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network communications.
Originally from Argentina, Peter holds a Master of Journalism degree from the University of British Columbia and a BA in History from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. An award-winning journalist, his multi-media work has been published by VICE News, The Globe and Mail, CBC and the Toronto Star, amongst other publications in Canada and abroad. He’s been writing about health and science since 2015.
What is your #DearTerry message?
Dear Terry,
I sometimes try to imagine how you felt the morning of April 12, 1980. I close my eyes and picture you on a cold morning in Newfoundland, nervous about the road that lay ahead of you and uncertain of the impact your run would have. I imagine that beneath that smile and that confident look, there was also pain and self-doubt.
I wish you could see how things turned out! I wish you knew that pushing past that pain and those doubts would have an impact that would transcend frontiers and generations and transform cancer research in Canada forever!
Whenever I’m riddled with doubts, or the task ahead of me seems too daunting, I try to picture you on that windy morning. And then I feel your courage, your perseverance, your optimism flood through my veins. That’s when I put my head down and get to work. That’s the example you set for us, and that’s how we continue your Marathon of Hope—persevering through difficulties to try to do our part to make an impact on the lives of cancer patients.
What’s something you saw recently that made you smile?
As a soccer fan from Argentina, I can’t help but say that seeing Lionel Messi and the rest of Argentina’s national team lift the World Cup in 2022 was one of the happiest moments of my life! I think I’ve been smiling ever since!
Are you reading anything interesting right now?
I tend to always have a few books on the go and keep my reading constant and varied! I’m currently reading a complete collection of poems by Jorge Luis Borges; a book called Net Gains, about data analytics in soccer; and a Mark Twain-esque novel about juvenile delinquents in early 20th century Buenos Aires by Roberto Arlt.